This blog has been designed to give the teachers and employees of the Hillsborough County School District an outlet to vent, rant, and most importantly share information and suggestions about Superintendent Elia's plan to increase the number of teaching periods from 5 to 6 periods a day while reducing the planning periods from 2 to 1.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

MAYBE NOW I WANNA BE A TEAMSTER

I'm beginning to think that we need another organization to represent us. An organization that is not afraid to look at the Board and say "NO". An organization that will go to the edge for us. An organization that is not afraid to go to jail for what is right. This county is big enough for TWO. Some healthy competition is good. I'm weary of "accepting" the status quo because "the law says we can't (fill in the blank)". I'm looking for leadership. Remember when unions would take out full page ads in order to win over public sentiment? Or at least get their message out!

DearHillsboroughCounty voters,

You voted for a constitutional amendment because you wanted smaller classes for your children. Nobody in their right mind would disagree. You were ignored by everybody from the governor to the local school boards. Since no one came forward with any logical or compelling reason not to vote for the smaller classes, the amendment passed. The governor and former superintendent figured that they'd be gone when the poop hit the fan. They were right.

So what do we do now? I'd like to see them say to the state "NO WAY". Unfortunately one of their favorite comments is that they have a "constitutional obligation to (fill in the blank)". The Superintendent is not going to say "As a former teacher it is not in the best interest of my district to comply with an impossible state mandate on the backs of one segment of workers."

So far here is what I see in the crystal ball if we stay the course:

Teachers will teach, leave everything at school and go home.No sponsors for anything. (Prom, Grad Night, dances, etc)No sponsors for clubs.Limited letters of recommendation - or blatantly obvious fill-in-the-blank templates.Extended time to grade work and get it to the students.More ScanTron multiple choice tests.Parents who want to know why the grades aren't on Edline as quick as they used to be.No after school duties assigned or filled.No chaperones.Phone call and email response complaints to the principal.District paperwork chronically late, missing or full of careless errors.Teachers purposefully scheduling medical visits on a common day.Chronic substitute shortages.Teachers teaching 7 out of 7 periods. (Covering classes)Increasingly more teachers calling in sick creating a vicious cycle.School gets "cancelled" because not enough teachers or substitutes show up.FCAT scores tank.The state DOE steps in.Either the Amendment gets "recalled" or an amendment allowing teachers to strike gets on the ballot.

Sincerely,

I never liked the idea of unions per se. I always seemed to do more than the teacher in the next room and yet still got paid the same. I always figured that my money could buy a lawyer if I needed one. I still do. BUT this is affecting my friends and colleagues like nothing else.

So who knows how to solicit union representation? Who says it as to be NEA affiliated? Who says that the county can't negotiate with a union of middle and high school teachers? Or just high school teachers? Can we start our own?

ALL TEACHERS NEED TO VISIT THIS LINK... http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB6Y2BT10F.html

I'm so furious right now I can barely type! We are now required to work an extra period for no additional pay, we are in a teacher shortage and we are losing units across the district, and now our fabulous super is getting a $30,000 raise based off of student achievement in this district that we THE TEACHERS created!!! WE MUST CHALLANGE HER SALARY AT THIS NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING! THIS SITUATION IS BECOMING SO PATHETIC THAT I'M FINDING MYSELF LAUGHING MORE THAN CRYING! I hope she saves her bonus carefully this year because I serious doubt we THE TEACHERS will be able to increase student achievement next year to the same degree with our new working conditions.

"This year, that performance pay is helping Superintendent MaryEllen Elia earn $284,744, including $48,240 added to her base of $236,504. That's well above what superintendents in Broward County and also New York and Chicago earn."

"The New York chancellor of education, for example, answers directly to the mayor and oversees the education of nearly 1.1 million students - the largest school district in the nation.